When was the star betelgeuse found

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In a new study, researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara have modeled the stellar explosions that occur when pulsating supergiants like Betelgeuse die , showing the expected brightness of these supernovas, according to a statement from the university. When a massive star runs out of material in its core, the star will collapse under its own gravity and turn into a supernova.

Researchers have estimated that this will likely happen to Betelgeuse within the next , years , which is relatively soon in astronomical terms. This explosion will create a burst capable of briefly outshining an entire galaxy, according to the statement. Supernovas differ based on the dying star's mass, radius and total explosion energy. Joyce, M. Download references. News 09 NOV Research Highlight 05 NOV News 04 NOV Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Advanced search. Skip to main content Thank you for visiting nature. You have full access to this article via your institution. Download PDF. When this happens, it will send its store of heavy elements into our galaxy. The radius of Betelgeuse is thought to be around a thousand times greater than the sun and would reach beyond the orbit of Jupiter if it was placed at the center of our solar system. The following image by the European Southern Observatory shows the size comparison of Betelgeuse compared to the planets in our solar system.

The overlaid annotation shows how large the star is compared to our Solar System.